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Study: Number Of People Who Share Or Post Videos Online Has Doubled Since 2009

A study from Pew Research Center evaluating the online video activity of American adult Internet users found the number of people who share or post videos online has doubled in the last four years, growing from 14 percent in 2009 to 31 percent today.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 1,003 adults via telephone interviews, with questions ranging from how often survey participants viewed online videos and the types of video content viewed and created, to the sites where videos are posted and the frequency videos are watched on cell phones.

The study discovered that the number of people viewing online videos has also increased, with 78 percent of survey respondents saying they have watched or downloaded an online video, up from 69 percent in 2009.

According to the survey, 27 percent of the survey respondents have uploaded a video so others could watch it, while 18 percent of the respondents have posted videos they created. Only 5 percent of the survey participants said they regretted posting a video.

The younger a survey participant was, the more likely they were to post and share videos online, with 41 percent of 18 to 29 year old Internet users sharing and posting videos online compared to 36 percent of 30 to 49 year olds and 18 percent of Internet users over the age of 50.

The survey claims that sites like YouTube and Vimeo are driving the upward swing in online video activity, with the number of adults using video-sharing sites growing from 33 percent to 72 percent since 2006.

The survey also found, “Much of the online video culture revolves around social networking sites,” with 58 percent of online video consumers watching videos on sites like Facebook, and 71 percent of survey participants posting videos on the same social networking sites.

When it comes to the type of video content being viewed, most Internet users are watching comedy, how-to, educational and music videos, with 58 percent of survey participants watching comedy and humor videos and 56 percent watching how-to videos. (Pew Research Center noted that this survey was the first time the ‘how-to’ video genre was included.)

The survey broke-down the types of video content viewed by age demographics, finding 18 to 29 year old survey participants more likely to watch comedy and music videos compared to other age groups.

The survey asked participants who post videos what type of content they are most likely to share, revealing 58 percent tend to share content that includes friends and family doing everyday things; only 23 percent posted intentionally staged, scripted or choreographed videos.

When evaluating how often survey respondents used mobile phones to watch and create video content, findings showed that 41 percent used cell phones to watch video content, 40 percent used cell phones to record video, and 20 percent used their cell phones to post video content.

The survey found participants age 18 to 29 years, college-educated, or from the highest household income bracket were more likely to watch, record and post video content on their phones.

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About The Author

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media's General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.